5.1 Waiver Language

Rule 5.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure went info effect April 30, 2015.  The new rule is below:

RULE 5.1. PRIVACY PROTECTION FOR FILINGS MADE WITH THE COURT

 

(a) Redacted Filings. Unless the court orders otherwise, in an electronic or paper filing with the court that contains an individual’s social-security number, taxpayer-identification number, or birth date, the name of an individual known to be a minor, or a financial-account number, a party or nonparty making the filing may include only:

(1) the last four digits of the social-security number and taxpayer-identification number;

(2) the year of the individual’s birth;

(3) the minor’s initials; and

(4) the last four digits of the financial-account number.

 

(b) Exemptions from the Redaction Requirement. The redaction requirement does not apply to the following:

(1) a financial-account number that identifies the property allegedly subject to forfeiture in a forfeiture proceeding;

(2) the record of an administrative or agency proceeding; and

(3) the record of a court or tribunal, if that record was not subject to the redaction requirement when originally filed.

 

(c) Filings Made Under Seal. The court may order that a filing be made under seal without redaction. The court may later unseal the filing or order the person who made the filing to file a redacted version for the public record.

 

(d) Protective Orders. For good cause, the court may by order in a case:

(1) require redaction of additional information; or

(2) limit or prohibit a nonparty’s remote electronic access to a document filed with the court.

 

(e) Option for Additional Unredacted Filing Under Seal. A person making a redacted filing may also file an unredacted copy under seal. The court must retain the unredacted copy as part of the record.

 

(f) Option for Filing a Reference List. A filing that contains redacted information may be filed together with a reference list that identifies each item of redacted information and specifies an appropriate identifier that uniquely corresponds to each item listed. The list must be filed under seal and may be amended as of right. Any reference in the case to a listed identifier will be construed to refer to the corresponding item of information.

(g) Waiver of Protection of Identifiers. A person waives the protection of Rule 5.1(a) as to the person’s own information by filing it without redaction and not under seal.

 

It should be noted that the provisions are not mandatory as noted by the language in paragraph (a).  (Rule says may not shall).  I think the following language can be added to an order which may give attorneys some security as there has been some discussion about the practicality of this. 

 

"The Court finds that for good cause the redaction provisions of Rule 5.1 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure shall not apply to this order so that the parties and/or any third party can effectuate this order."